BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts voters approved giving union rights to drivers for ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft but rejected a measure to legalize some psychedelics.
The issues were among five measures on Tuesday’s ballot. Voters also said no to increasing the minimum hourly wage for workers who collect tips. But they approved dropping comprehensive tests as a requirement for getting a high school diploma and OK'd auditing the Legislature.
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A voter, right, fills out their their ballot during early voting in the general election, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Fall River, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Voters stand in line as they prepare to vote during early voting in the general election, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Fall River, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A sign urging people to vote is displayed at the intersection of Beacon and Charles Street, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
People wait in line to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
People wait in line to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Voters cast their ballots at a polling place, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Waltham, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Voters approved giving the right to unionize to drivers for ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.
Under federal law, the drivers are considered independent contractors who don’t have the right to unionize. The ballot measure approved by voters allows drivers to unionize in Massachusetts but doesn't require them to participate. On the corporate side, companies will be allowed to join forces through associations that would represent their joint interests in negotiations.
As part of the measure, the state will have the right to approve negotiated contracts. The proposal also creates a hearing process when a company or union is charged with an unfair work practice.
Unions pushed for the change despite a settlement announced in June by the state attorney general’s office guaranteeing Uber and Lyft drivers earn a minimum pay standard of $32.50 per hour.
Opponents said the measure will raise prices for riders without directly benefiting drivers and create what they call “a new radical labor category” inconsistent with federal labor law. Critics also say drivers already enjoy benefits, including higher hourly pay and paid sick and family medical leave.
Voters defeated a proposal to gradually increase how much employers must pay workers who collect tips, such as servers in restaurants.
The state’s wage for tipped workers is now $6.75 an hour, while the minimum hourly wage for most other workers is $15. Now, if a worker doesn’t earn enough in tips to bring them up to $15 an hour, the employer must make up the difference.
Under the proposal, employers would have been required to pay tipped workers $9.60 an hour beginning Jan. 1, and match the state’s full minimum wage at the start of 2029.
Supporters argued that tips should be a reward for good service, not a subsidy for low wages.
James Rooney, president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said the group had heard from waitstaff, bartenders, and restaurant owners that the question would hurt the hospitality and restaurant industry.
The rejected ballot issue would have allowed residents 21 and older to grow and use plant-based psychedelic drugs in certain circumstances. Two other states have legalized some mind-altering drugs that are considered illegal by the federal government.
The psychedelics in question included psilocybin and psilocyn, both found in so-called magic mushrooms; and mescaline, dimethyltryptamine and ibogaine from plants.
Critics of the proposal warned it could lead to a black market. They also argued that the centers selling the drugs would not be prevented from giving psychedelics to people considered high risk, such as those with schizophrenia, bipolar illness or who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Until now, Massachusetts students were required to pass comprehensive tests to receive a high school diploma. The approved ballot issue doesn't get rid of the tests, but stipulates that passing them will no longer be required for graduation.
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests are given in mathematics, science and technology, and English.
Instead of passing the tests, students will be required to finish coursework certified by the local school district and achieve state academic standards in the subjects.
Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page said Massachusetts voters “have proclaimed that they are ready to let teachers teach, and students learn, without the onerous effects of a high-stakes standardized test.”
Supporters of the tests argued that without the requirement, school districts will adopt lower standards so students can graduate. They said it’s unfair to grant diplomas to students who aren’t ready.
Gov. Maura Healey, who opposed the question, said Wednesday that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will come up with guidance for communities on the change.
Voters gave the state auditor the power to audit the Legislature.
The ballot measure had been spearheaded by state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who formerly served in both the state House and Senate. She said passage is a victory for those who want more open state government.
“The people of Massachusetts want the equity, transparency and accountability that a legislative audit would bring,” she said.
Critics had said the question would violate the separation of powers outlined in the Massachusetts Constitution.
Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano released a statement saying they will consider “how to best respect the Question 1 election results in a manner that aligns with the fundamental principles of the Massachusetts Constitution, including separation of powers.”
Associated Press journalist Nick Perry contributed to this report from Meredith, New Hampshire.
A voter, right, fills out their their ballot during early voting in the general election, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Fall River, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Voters stand in line as they prepare to vote during early voting in the general election, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Fall River, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A sign urging people to vote is displayed at the intersection of Beacon and Charles Street, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
People wait in line to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
People wait in line to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Voters cast their ballots at a polling place, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Waltham, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — At least 11 people have died after Cyclone Chido caused devastating damage in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, France's Interior Ministry said Sunday.
The intense tropical cyclone has now made landfall on the east coast of Africa, where aid agencies are warning of more loss of life and severe damage in northern Mozambique.
The ministry said it was proving difficult to get a precise tally of the dead and injured in Mayotte amid fears the death toll will increase. A local hospital reported that nine people were in critical condition there and 246 others were injured.
The tropical cyclone blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean, also affecting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. Mayotte was directly in its path and suffered extensive damage on Saturday, officials said. The local prefect said it was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Saturday night after an emergency meeting in Paris that there were fears that the death toll in Mayotte “will be high” and the island had been largely devastated.
Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took office on Friday, said public infrastructure on Mayotte had been severely damaged or destroyed, including the main hospital and the airport. He said many people living in precarious shacks in slum areas have faced very serious risks.
Chido brought winds in excess of 220 kph (136 mph), according to the French weather service, making it a category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the scale.
Mayotte has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two main islands about 800 kilometers (500 miles) off Africa’s east coast. It is France's poorest island and the European Union's poorest territory. In some parts, entire neighborhoods were flattened, while local residents reported many trees had been uprooted and boats had been flipped or sunk.
The French Interior Ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed to “help the population and prevent potential looting.”
More than 100 rescuers and firefighters have been deployed in Mayotte from France and the nearby territory of Reunion, and an additional reinforcement of 140 people was due to be sent on Sunday. Supplies were being rushed in on military aircraft and ships.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was closely monitoring the situation, while Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the cyclone while on a visit Sunday to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica.
Chido continued its eastern trajectory and made landfall early Sunday in Mozambique on the African mainland, where emergency officials had warned that 2.5 million people could be impacted in two northern provinces, Cabo Delgado and Nampula. Landlocked Malawi and Zimbabwe are also preparing to be affected, with both countries warning they might have to evacuate people from low-lying areas because of flooding.
In Mozambique, the United Nations Children's Fund said Cabo Delgado province, home to around 2 million people, had been hit hard.
“Many homes, schools and health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed and we are working closely with government to ensure continuity of essential basic services,” UNICEF said. “While we are doing everything we can, additional support is urgently needed.”
UNICEF Mozambique spokesman Guy Taylor said in a video posted by the group from Cabo Delgado's regional capital that alongside the immediate impact of the cyclone, communities now face the prospect of being cut off from schools and health facilities for weeks.
December through to March is cyclone season in the southeastern Indian Ocean and southern Africa has been pummeled by a series of strong ones in recent years. Cyclone Idai in 2019 killed more than 1,300 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Cyclone Freddy left more than 1,000 dead across several countries last year.
The cyclones bring the risk of flooding and landslides, but also stagnant pools of water may later spark deadly outbreaks of the waterborne disease cholera as well as dengue fever and malaria.
Studies say the cyclones are getting worse because of climate change. They can leave poor countries in southern Africa, which contribute a tiny amount to global warming, having to deal with large humanitarian crises, underlining their call for more help from rich nations to deal with the impact of climate change.
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Corbet reported from Paris.
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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers at work to restore a building in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows a soldier directing loading operations of relief for the island of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024 in Orleans, central France. (Laure-Anne Maucorps/ Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows palm tress during strong winds in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows rescue workers before boarding a military plane for the island of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean, after cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024 in Orleans, central France. (Laure-Anne Maucorps/ Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers loading relief for the island of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024 in Orleans, central France. (Laure-Anne Maucorps/ Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers at a checkpoint in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows a damaged house in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers addressing the population in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows a soldier looking at damages in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers patrolling in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers patrolling in a military truck in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers removing fallen trees in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This undated photo provided by NGO Medecins du Monde on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, shows a devastated hill on the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Medecins du Monde via AP)
